


a dream within a dream

by excorde (constant)



Category: TREASURE (Korea Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Fluff, Kissing, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Romeo and Juliet References, Slow Burn, but it's fine, jihoon the best wingman, jikyu bffs!, junkyu is a bit dramatic lmao, junkyu is a literature addict, junkyu-centric, weird scene skips
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-01
Updated: 2020-10-09
Packaged: 2021-03-06 03:34:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 15,228
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25646644
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/constant/pseuds/excorde
Summary: Junkyu has fantasized about his first kiss so many times. Apparently, he has not fantasized about it enough.Or: Junkyu ended up subbing for Juliet in the rehearsal for Act 1 Scene 5, or the iconic scene where Romeo and Juliet shared their first kiss. As for Junkyu, the moment which rendered him his first kiss. With all that follows, he decides who to blame for it. Himself - for being so stupid, Jihoon - the one who begged him to sub for the role, or Takata Mashiho - the one who took it.
Relationships: Kim Junkyu & Park Jihoon, Kim Junkyu/Takata Mashiho
Comments: 56
Kudos: 170





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> thanks to d for betaing this fic im srry if this didnt turn out the same way the first time u read this :( ,,, still, i appreciate ur help a lot! ilyyy  
>   
> in this, junkyu, jihoon, hyunsuk and mashiho are all in the same age  
> enjoy!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> in which jihoon asks junkyu to sub for juliet in the rehearsal.

Junkyu has fantasized about his first kiss so many times, but he never imagined it to be anything like this. 

Junkyu thought he would stumble, or jerk away as soon as the wet and unfamiliar feeling would settle on his lips. He imagined a cold night under the pale moonlight, or a heated make out session inside a janitor's closet. He dreamed about having his first kiss under the rain as he shares an umbrella with his lover. Junkyu was convinced that he’s going to receive it from someone he _likes_ . He expected awkwardness, bliss, being uncomfortable, being comfortable, and just being downright _disgusted_. 

But _this_. Oh, christ almighty. 

_This_ \- the real thing. This is all Jihoon's fault. 

His friend doesn’t seem to understand that being familiar with Shakespeare’s works doesn’t equal to wanting to act in a play. Junkyu doesn't want to be involved in anything that has to do with _stages,_ yet Jihoon did not seem to realize this as he came asking if he could sub for Juliet on their rehearsal today.

“Only for the first act, Kyu! Juliet barely even has lines in there. Will you do it, please? Please please please…" Jihoon has pleaded a couple of hours before, their hushed argument earning them glares from the other students inside the library. Junkyu opted to leave, but he’s afraid that that would only give Jihoon an opportunity to drag him to the auditorium. 

"I don't understand why you're running to me for this favor, of all people. Why can't you just choose someone from the props team?" 

"Can't. Hyunsuk absolutely hates it when someone from the play has to fill in for someone else."

"Even from the props team?" 

"Even from the props team - everyone." 

Hyunsuk is the president of the drama club, and he's the one directing this school year's play. He's also the reason why Jihoon went all that trouble breaking his neck just to land a part in the drama. But that's for another story.

"So, you'll do it?" 

"I don't know. I'm not really one for acting." 

Jihoon chuckles. "It's just a rehearsal, Junkyu. _Plus_ it's only for this one time." 

"Exactly. So why do you act as if the world would blow up if you can't find a substitute?" 

Jihoon ruffles his hair in frustration. “It's like this: _Romeo_ has been missing practices because he has to balance theatre and football, and now that he’s _finally_ attending rehearsal later, the director wants to see him rehearse with a partner, but this time, _Juliet’s_ the one who can’t make it because she has to go to the hospital for an eye checkup which is kind of my fault because I hit her with an eraser during Physics- _don’t laugh it was an accident!_ \- so now you see why finding a temporary replacement is _my_ responsibility.” 

Junkyu should have asked him how the situation is any of his concern but he was trying to suppress from giggling that he can’t even breathe much less utter a word. This eventually led him to let out a loud snort, which had them kicked out of the library. 

“Are you done now?” Jihoon asked with a sassy hand on his hip as they stood outside the library doors.

“You’re so stupid.” Junkyu told him as he recovered from the final traces of his laughter. He caught sight of Jihoon's serious gaze and Junkyu immediately softened.

"Will you do it, Kyu? Please? I don't know who else to ask because you’re honestly the only one I know who reads Shakespeare for fun. I could ask a better actor but I don't think anyone's capable of portraying the right emotions as you do. I think Hyunsuk will be very pleased if someone like you-" 

"Oh, so this is about Hyunsuk." 

"What? No!" Jihoon pulled Junkyu away from the library entrance - the librarian snarled at them once more - and placed both of his hands on the other's shoulders. 

"This is about you and your inborn talent to literature and anything Victorian." A short pause. Jihoon's serious gaze is too close for Junkyu's liking. Jihoon blinks. 

"Actually, it's _Elizabethan_." 

"What?" 

"It's not Victorian, it's Eliza-"

Jihoon raises both of his hands as if proving a point. "See?" 

Junkyu squints at him. "You're buttering me up." 

"Please?" 

Junkyu sighs. " _Fine_." 

Jihoon pumps his fists. 

"What is Juliet's scene in the first act again?" 

"The saints and pilgrims conversation." 

"Oh, right! Okay." 

"Do you want to read the script?" 

"No, no. I got it." 

Somehow, it's kind of Junkyu's fault too.

 _R &J _ isn’t Junkyu's favorite Shakespeare work, but due to its worldwide popularity, Junkyu has come across a lot of adaptations that he's confident that he can remember (almost) every line in the piece. 

Being how this is a highschool play, Junkyu never expected the inclusion of the kiss scene in the first act. That, perhaps, was the most foolish thing for him to do - jumping to his own conclusions - next to being overly confident as not deeming it necessary for him to read the script. _If_ only he took a little peek… if only… 

" _Saints don’t move, even when they grant prayers_."

 _Romeo_ takes a step closer towards him, his gaze intense and never faltering. 

When he speaks his next line, the spectators around them start squealing. Even Junkyu felt mesmerized by the way his voice droned on in a low mesmerizing tone. " _Then move not, while my prayer’s effect I take_."

All around them, everyone waits in bated breath. The noises hush down. His peripherals blurs and all Junkyu can see is the man standing in front of him. All he can feel is the hand that has pressed behind his back, pulling him closer towards him. 

Before Junkyu's brain can process what is happening, _Romeo_ whispers so that only the two of them can hear: “Here it goes.” 

Junkyu starts to feel a surge of panic. “What goes?” 

Junkyu has fantasized about his first kiss so many times. Apparently, he has not fantasized about it enough. 

Junkyu thought he would stumble, but instead he's being held tenderly. They may not be under a blanket of stars or in the middle of a stormy rain, but Junkyu realizes that the surroundings don’t matter much because you get lost in the feeling anyway. Never in a million years he would ever think that he'd have his first kiss on a stage, in front of many spectators, and that the one who'd be giving it to him is Takata Mashiho. 

Junkyu was convinced that he's going to have his first kiss with a person he likes, but does it have to matter that Mashiho's not an object of his affection? 

Because at the moment, all he can feel is _bliss_. 

Nothing but pure bliss.

The two have been in the same class for the last three years, but Mashiho's just not one of the people whom Junkyu would choose _first_ to sit with in the cafeteria if Jihoon happens not to be around for the day. Actually, if he’s the only choice left, Junkyu would rather choose to sit alone than be on the same table with him. It has nothing to do with hostility or unfamiliarity. It has something to do more with _awkwardness_. They have just not interacted enough for Junkyu to deem them comfortable with each other. 

If there's any interaction between them that Junkyu couldn't forget, it would be that one time in Algebra when Mashiho willingly gave up his seat at the front row because Junkyu left his glasses at home. 

Another was when Mashiho found the _Edgar Allan Poe Collection_ which Junkyu borrowed from the library and had gotten carelessly misplaced. When Junkyu asked him how he knew it was his (temporarily), Mashiho merely shrugged, saying, “You’re the only one who would be reading a poetry book around here. Plus, I’ve seen you carrying it around.” 

As they pull away, Mashiho looks at him as if they really _are_ star-crossed lovers, as if he’s willing to turn his back on his family and fight for his love for Junkyu. 

" _You kiss like you've studied how."_ Junkyu says breathlessly. 

Is he even _still_ in character? 

Mashiho chuckles softly. "The line's not for later." 

"Oh. Right." 

Someone clears their throat, and Junkyu startles as the thought of reality sinks in, remembering where he is, where he’s standing, and the bunch of people surrounding him, who all probably have witnessed _everything_. 

"Sorry to interrupt, but you weren't supposed to _actually_ kiss???"

Hyunsuk addresses the two men on stage. Junkyu can’t make out his expression. He looks between frustrated and pleased. Junkyu catches sight of Jihoon standing a few feet away from him, jaw dropped in surprise. The rest are having the same amazed and shocked expressions. A few girls are still giggling, which makes Junkyu blush as he imagines just what might they be whispering with each other. 

“Ever heard of a staged kiss? You know, the one where you cheat on the audience?" 

Junkyu wants the floor to swallow him up. He feels Mashiho fidget beside him, probably feeling just as embarrassed as he is. 

“Oh, shit. I didn’t know that. Sorry.” Mashiho stammers, and turning a little to Junkyu, he says in a lower voice, “Sorry.” 

Junkyu refuses to look at him. 

“Maybe if you attended rehearsals regularly, you would know.” Hyunsuk counters back at him which causes Mashiho to bow and utter another apology. Hyunsuk waves him off, a playful smirk forming on his face now. 

“But I can't say that _that_ wasn't exemplary. I think we should just let them kiss on the actual play. What do you guys think?” As Hyunsuk turns to the rest of the cast and staff, Junkyu's bound by a temporary relief as most of the attention has turned away from him. 

It doesn’t even last a second because Mashiho seems to have taken this as an opportunity to turn to him. 

“Hey, I’m really sorry. If I had known, I wouldn't have done it like that.” 

_Like that._ Like what? 

Junkyu notices a tinge of pink on Mashiho's cheeks, but despite this, his gaze never falters, unlike Junkyu, who's doing his best to stare at anything but Mashiho's eyes. “It’s all right. It was all just professional work anyway.” 

“ _Junkyu_!” Bless Park Jihoon for showing up at the right moment. He scrambles up to the stage, nearly tripping on a bunch of speaker wires on his way. “Oh my god. That was your first kiss! I can’t believe this.” 

Curse Park Jihoon for speaking out loud of such mortifying classified information. 

“Will you _shut up_?” Junkyu hisses as he notices that some of those who are nearer around them have given them curious looks. 

“That was your first kiss?” Mashiho asks in mild surprise, as if it's any of his concern that he's now part of one of Junkyu's milestones in life. 

“No!” Startled by his own raised voice, Junkyu calms himself down then proceeds in a much controlled tone, “No, of course not. I’ve kissed people before.” 

Jihoon grabs this moment to address Mashiho. “And you! Where did you learn to kiss like that?” 

“ _Jihoon_!” 

" _What? I need to know."_

Junkyu grabs his friend's hand and drags him backstage. Thankfully, Jihoon doesn't fight him. He doesn't turn to give Mashiho another glance. He thinks he'd have a meltdown if he takes another look at his face. 

Fuck, that was so embarrassing. And Mashiho apologizing after just makes it even more humiliating. 

_If I had known, I wouldn't have done it like that._

Somehow, it's kind of Mashiho's fault too. 


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> in which junkyu's faced with two problems and he can't decide which is worse. 
> 
> (but thank the lord for emergency dance parties.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> in honor of treasure's debut, here's an early update <33

The news spread like wildfire. Almost everywhere Junkyu goes, he's met with stares, whispers, giggles and oftentimes, a bombardment of questions. The stares are more _teasing_ than glares, and Junkyu wishes that he'd receive more of the latter because he just burns up like a tomato every time he sees one of those funny looks. 

The glares he finds more tolerable. He soon realizes that the chief senders are all from the same circle, something akin to Mashiho's little support group or else. 

Jihoon, who feels like it's his fault that his friend is going through such unwanted attention, takes it upon himself to defend Junkyu from them. 

"Is it true that you and Mashiho kissed?" A couple of girls have blocked their way to the cafeteria. Jihoon had been complaining of his famished state since the second period, and he snapped at them before Junkyu could find a way to dodge the question without giving a response. 

"Yes, it's true now _back off_!" 

The satisfied squeals that followed cause Junkyu to stammer a lie before them, but the girls aren't even listening to them anymore. 

When they have finally settled on their table with trays full of food, Junkyu asks Jihoon politely if he could stop making matters worse for him. 

"What do you mean?" Jihoon barely gets the words out, his mouth stuffed with raisin bread. 

Junkyu looks at him in disgust. "How can you eat _that_?" 

Jihoon only shakes his head in response. 

"Anyway, just stop speaking for me. I can handle myself just fine." 

"If you say so."

Junkyu doesn't encounter Mashiho an entire week after 'the incident', only because Junkyu makes sure that he doesn't. The scene plays in his head like clockwork. It kicks off when he dazes off in class, when he closes his eyes, when he's looking out the window of his father's car, when he's _in the shower_ . It's the first and last thing he thinks about everyday. Heck, he's even having _dreams_ about it. 

"It was just a kiss." He tells himself, patting himself on the shoulder for good measure. "No big deal." 

Junkyu tends to forget about his surroundings whenever he falls into his dazes, and he startles a little when he hears Jihoon's voice perk up beside him. 

" _It was only a kiss_." Jihoon belts out dramatically, the way his gaze is fixed on his textbook tells Junkyu that he's just as immersed in his own thoughts. 

They look at each other, and after a moment of telepathic conversation, their lips spread into wide foolish grins. 

"Emergency dance party!" 

Junkyu blasted his phone in full volume, playing the song which Jihoon just sang a line of a few seconds ago. 

Junkyu jumps up and down on his bed, and Jihoon does a horrifying sequence of movements which he apparently calls 'a dance'. 

They went on for a couple more songs, their flailing causing their textbooks and notes to fall helplessly on the floor. Junkyu raps to _Big Bang_ and Jihoon hypes him up like the best friend that he is. Whenever Junkyu stumbles on his words, Jihoon backs him up which helps the former a great deal in picking his pace up again. 

When their exhaustion has gotten the better of them, they sprawl on the bed side by side. 

For a short minute, they just lay there trying to catch their breaths, listening to _Beyonce_ in the background.

Then: "Are you okay?" 

Emergency dance parties only commence when there's an urgent need for a distraction. Junkyu was the one who announced it earlier, and Jihoon hasn't missed that. 

When Junkyu remains silent, Jihoon turns on his side to face his friend. 

"Is the attention bothering you?" 

"No." 

"You shouldn't have asked me to step off. I could have handled them." 

"Thanks, Ji." 

Junkyu doesn't have the courage to tell him that it's not even about the attention. 

**。 。**

For some reason, the emergency dance party _did_ help Junkyu feel a lot better. The kiss doesn't seem to bother him that much anymore, and he doesn't try to avoid Mashiho committedly just as he was the following week. 

Which is a mistake. 

“Hi, Junkyu.” 

It takes a second to sink in. 

In the midst of this bustling crowd in the hallway, Mashiho goes out of his way to say _hi_ to Junkyu. 

Mashiho casts a tender smile at him, his soft gaze reminding Junkyu too much of that look he gave him after they pulled away from the kiss. He's surrounded by his football buddies, and Junkyu can feel all of their gazes on him as they await his response. 

“Uh, hi.”

Junkyu speeds off to his next class, not wanting to stare at Mashiho any longer nor wait to see if he's going to speak to him more. Junkyu swears he heard a wolf whistle from their general direction just as he runs off, and that's all it takes for him to blush madly once again.

Junkyu receives another form of distraction which helps him clear his thoughts off of Mashiho and their _literally_ dramatic kiss. 

In the form of a big red mark on the upper right corner of his test paper and the sneering words: 

"I suggest you stop reading your English books and start working on your Trig worksheets." 

Junkyu steers away from his former misery only to be replaced by a brand new one. A worst one. One in which he can only solve by putting extra effort in the subject. And that absolutely pains him to think of because he just can't do maths to save his life.

Taking double time to do something you hate is truly dreadful. Just thinking about the sleepless nights he has to go through, staring at functions and angles and other geometric terminology which doesn't even make sense already makes him teary-eyed. 

Junkyu has been distracted the whole day, pulling a long face as he thinks of a solution to his big math problem. _Too distracted_ in fact, that he fails to notice the worried glances Mashiho throws at his direction, and that the boy has been hesitating to approach and check on him a couple of times. 

"I'm sure you can do it." Is what Jihoon says to him after he confides in him about his Trig troubles. 

"Can you tutor me?" 

Jihoon freezes on his tracks to give him an exasperated look. "I'm just as bad as you are." 

Mr. Kim, the gym teacher, yells at them to keep moving. Because of Jihoon's short pause, they lag behind the rest of the class, so they proceed with their jog, maintaining their position at the end of the line. 

"I get D's most of the time." Jihoon tells him, his hair bouncing distractingly as he moves. "My highest was C minus." 

" _C minus_!" Junkyu sputters in surprise. "What would I give to get a C minus in a math subject. Ji, you're a genius." 

Jihoon merely shrugs. "C minus means I'm not capable of tutoring anyone." 

"Anyone who's above an F is capable of tutoring someone who has gotten an F. You're just making an excuse." The run is starting to take a toll on him now, making him short of breath and lag behind. Jihoon thankfully slows down for his sake, and when Junkyu catches up with him, he notices that Jihoon is staring straight towards the field. 

"He's looking at you again." 

"What?"

"Mashiho." 

" _What_?" 

"You think he developed some kind of feelings for you after you guys kissed?" 

Junkyu couldn't take it anymore. He crouches over and rests his hands on his knees as he gasps for breath. Maybe Jihoon should take a rest too because the exhaustion is making him speak nonsense. 

Still. Junkyu couldn't help taking a cautious look towards the field to check if Jihoon is right. 

He spots Mashiho instantly among the number of football players huddled in a close area in the middle of the field. His head is the only one who's turned towards Junkyu's general direction, but he's too far away to see if his eyes are fixed on what Jihoon claimed it's fixed on. 

After gathering his strength again, Junkyu sprints and catches up with Jihoon in no time. 

"What made you say that?" 

"Huh?" 

"The last thing you said. What made you say that?" 

Jihoon is quiet for a moment, then as if making up his mind, he huffs out, "Okay. First Trig lesson. We're going in circles in this stupid oval, aren't we?" 

"Yeah." 

"As you go through every quadrant, try to see if he's looking over at you. If he _does_ , that means he's following you with his eyes because he has to turn his body around in order to do that.” He adds, “Like a weirdo." 

Junkyu takes a moment to recall what a quadrant is. Jihoon recoils at his silence. 

"You _do_ know what a quadrant is, don't you?" 

"Of course, I do!" 

"Those are only the basics, Kyu!" 

"I know what a quadrant is!" 

Their argument led Jihoon to further question Junkyu about the corresponding values of the trig functions in every quadrant. It made their exercise a lot more interesting, Junkyu barely felt physically exhausted as the exertion all went into his head. By the time they finished their little review lesson (Jihoon was really polite in correcting his mistakes), they had completed an entire lap. 

Junkyu ended up taking Jihoon's advice. If he's not mistaken, Mashiho has only turned in their direction twice. While that doesn't seem to serve as a strong support for Jihoon's speculations, Junkyu couldn't help pointing out that Mashiho has turned on _non-adjacent quadrants_ , which means that he's definitely _checking_ someone out from their class. And the worst of it is, it could be Junkyu. 

The worst of the worst: " _You think he developed some kind of feelings for you after you guys kissed?"_

"Ji, when will our next lesson be?" 

"You're out of luck, my friend, everything I taught you just now is all I know about Trig." 

Jihoon ended up giving in, and he proceeds to tell him that they'll be having their next tutorial after theatre practice tomorrow. 

"Wait for me outside the auditorium." 

And so that’s where Junkyu finds himself the very next day, waiting outside the double doors, the voices of the actors echoing loudly that it reaches him outside. 

He recognizes which act it is instantly - Juliet's most famous speech sending him in a dreamy daze. 

_"O Romeo, Romeo! Wherefore art thou, Romeo?"_

Junkyu recites the lines along with her, " _Deny thy father and refuse thy name. Or, if thou wilt not, be but sworn my love, and I’ll no longer be a Capulet_."

He sighs, "Nailed it." 

A different voice follows Juliet's speech, and Junkyu's heart does a flip as he recognizes the mesmerizing tone. 

" _Shall I hear more, or shall I speak at this_?" 

Very slowly, Junkyu slides the door open, just enough for him to peek through. There, on the center of the stage, is _Romeo_ and _Juliet_ , positioned for the balcony scene. Junkyu watches the entire scene with awe, amazed at how the two actors fit well together. Mashiho seems to have improved over the weeks - not that he was bad before - but his emotions are evident in his voice and gestures now. 

Junkyu waits outside the doors for another half hour, the noises from the rehearsal distracting his impatience. 

He finally receives a text from Jihoon, reminding him why he's there in the first place. 

**jiparkhoon:**

_backstage_

Junkyu then only remembers that the theatre kids rarely use the front door for rehearsals. The back door is more convenient since it directly leads from the main hall to the backstage, saving more time compared to when one uses the front door.

Junkyu arrives at the backstage door in a few minutes and there are already a few of the cast taking their leave. A group is huddled just by the door and he tentatively positions himself on the other side of the doorway, hoping Jihoon would turn up soon. Their voices are way too loud that he couldn't help listening in on their conversation. 

"I don't want to watch some lousy cartoon." 

"It's not a lousy cartoon, it's _Frozen II!"_

"How about that horror film Yeji told us about?" 

"Count me out." 

"I _hate_ horror movies." 

"You hate everything, Jisung." 

"Let's just go with _Frozen II_ then." 

"What do you say, Mashi?" 

Mashi? 

Junkyu looks towards the group at the mention of the name, and sure enough, the person he expects to see is among them. Realizing that he's been there the whole time isn't what surprised Junkyu. It's rather realizing that Mashiho is already looking at him. 

In his surprise, Junkyu looks away and fixes his gaze on the floor. Not a moment later, he sees a pair of feet in front of him, and he's forced to lift his head up again. 

"Junkyu, hi." 

"Uh, hi." 

"So, uhm. My friends and I are planning to see a movie this weekend." 

"...Okay." 

Mashiho fidgets, but his gaze doesn't falter. "So I was wondering if you want to come with?" 

Junkyu's not sure if he's hearing it right. "You want me to come with you and your friends?" As he says the last words, Junkyu glances at said friends. They still seem preoccupied with their last argument, not noticing that Mashiho has turned away at all. (Thank god.) 

"Yeah. It's just- I can't stop thinking about that rehearsal-" 

Oh shit. 

"-I mean, I can't stop thinking about what I did and thought it caused you a lot of trouble. I've been pretty restless thinking that I left you like that without a proper apology." 

Junkyu shakes his head. "You really don't have to, and it didn't cause me that much trouble as you assume it did." 

"But still. I really want to apologize. If you don't want the movie, I can think of something else or you tell me what you want." 

So is this why he has been giving Junkyu those glances? And those little greetings in the hallways? Because of guilt? Because he wants to apologize? 

If Junkyu says no to the movie, he knows that the guy would keep pestering him with something else, and he doesn't think he can handle more of Mashiho tailing him and asking him to do… something. 

It's now or later. Junkyu decides to give him a chance. He says yes to the movie.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> in which junkyu makes a friend.

“You know,” Jihoon starts, slamming his pencil on the desk impatiently, “I can’t teach you if you keep glancing at the clock every five seconds.” 

These words make Junkyu realize that he is, indeed, too conscious of the time. “Sorry.” 

“Show some respect, man! Trig is not easy.” 

Junkyu sighs, shaking his head as if that would help get his head straight. 

“Sorry, Ji. I’m just nervous.” 

Jihoon eyes him curiously. “Nervous? About what?” 

Jihoon doesn’t know about the movie with Mashiho. Junkyu didn’t tell him that Mashiho had approached him that afternoon after their rehearsal. 

Some people may tell their best friend _everything_ , but Junkyu is not one of them.

"About my final grade in Trig.” Junkyu lies easily, craning his neck towards the pile of notes strewn before him. “Now, where were we? _Quadratic theorem_?" 

Jihoon gives him an exasperated look. “Kyu, it’s _pythagorean_.” 

“Right.” 

“The _quadratic formula_ is from algebra.”

“I knew that.” 

“Well, now you do.”

“Shut up.” 

  
  


Junkyu tries not to stress too much on his outfit. After all, it's just a normal movie outing with the person who owes him an apology, who also happens to be the person who took his first kiss. 

It's not a date. 

He keeps reminding himself this: _It's not a date_. 

He puts on an oversized plaid shirt over a white statement shirt, pairing it off with his favorite black skinny jeans and the first pair of shoes he could find in his room. There. Totally not stressing about it. After fully dressing himself, he spends about five - or is it ten? - minutes in front of the mirror trying to get his hair right. 

Junkyu usually antagonizes over his hair, so this is just a normal thing for him. No other meaning. 

“Not a date. Not a date…” He mumbles to himself as he finally walks out the door. 

Junkyu spots Mashiho and his friends as soon as he steps in the cinema lobby. Unsurprisingly, a bunch of them are arguing. Again. 

Mashiho stands a little away from their circle, looking as uninterested in joining their discussion as he was the last time, his eyes wandering around the place as if searching for someone. 

The boy has tucked in the hem of his black sweater just above the waistband of his denim jeans, which is cuffed around the bottom to give enough exposure to his trendy white sneakers. For some reason, seeing him dressed so casually makes Junkyu feel so relieved. 

_See? It’s not a date._

He’s just about a good few steps away when Mashiho turns towards his general direction and instantly meets his gaze, eyes lighting up as if he’s found the person that he has been looking for. 

“Hi. You look great.” Mashiho compliments him as soon as they’re within earshot of each other, a tiny smile gracing his lips which makes Junkyu slightly nervous for some reason. 

“Thanks.” 

Mashiho interrupts his friends’ clamorous exchange and introduces Junkyu to everyone. Only a few looked interested in meeting him, the rest either looking impatient to get inside the cinema hall, or annoyed since a couple of their friends are nowhere in sight yet. 

After the hasty introduction, they head towards the snack bar where Heejin, a pretty girl with big round eyes, leads the group, taking it upon herself to order for everyone. 

Junkyu and Mashiho fall behind the rest of them, standing awkwardly in silence as they wait for their snacks. 

When he couldn’t stand it anymore, Junkyu asks, “So, what are we watching?” 

Mashiho scrunches up his face, thinking. “Actually, I have no idea. Oh, wait! It’s that one.” He points towards the other side of the wall where a series of movie posters hang in an interval. Junkyu tries to follow his finger and believes he's pointing towards _Frozen II._

Junkyu shrugs. "Cool. I hope it's better than the first movie." 

Mashiho takes him in, like he's trying to figure out any joking traces in Junkyu's statement. 

Well, there wasn’t. He was just being honest. 

“The soundtrack was great though.” Mashiho finally says, voice subdued and a little cautious. 

“Are you kidding? That was the worst thing about the movie.” 

Junkyu catches the way his face contorts to a fleeting look of shock before settling back to a calmer expression. 

“I’ll pretend I didn’t hear that.” 

Junkyu grins. 

Mashiho opens his mouth pre-sentence, but before he can let a word out, a bucket of popcorn gets shoved in his face, bits of the food spilling to the floor. 

“Oops, sorry.” 

“It’s okay, Sahi. Just be careful next time.” 

_Wow._ Junkyu stares at the man before him, who grabs a piece of popcorn and shoves it into his mouth, unaware of the pair of eyes studying him in silence. 

_He’s so… nice._

Junkyu has to remind himself that this is the same boy who offered his seat, and did all those other good things to him over the time that they started being classmates. So, of course, he already knows about Mashiho being _nice_. There’s no need to be so surprised about it. 

“Come on, guys! The movie’s about to start!” 

"That's our cue." Mashiho balances the popcorn with one arm, hugging it close to his chest. With his free-hand, he wraps his fingers around Junkyu's wrist, catching the latter completely off-guard. 

"Wait, aren't we waiting for two more people?" 

"Don't worry about them. They'll catch up." Mashiho stops in his tracks to look at him. 

Junkyu stares back. 

After a moment, Junkyu nods. "Okay." 

Mashiho seems to have sensed Junkyu's willingness to follow behind him, not to mention his capability of _walking_ , but for some reason, he doesn't let him go. 

  
  


Mashiho's friends have taken up all the good seats in a single row, leaving vacant seats at either side which both Junkyu and Mashiho aren't up to taking. 

"Do you want to sit at the back?" Mashiho suggests. 

They don't really have any other choice. Junkyu begrudgingly follows Mashiho a row behind his friends, taking the ones in the middle. 

“I’ll hold on to the popcorn.” Mashiho says, positioning the bucket on top of his left leg so Junkyu wouldn’t have trouble digging in. 

“Thanks.” 

In the short minutes of waiting for the movie to roll in, Junkyu has come to terms with the fact that Mashiho's friends just never shut up. Luckily, they seem to be the only group present inside the cinema, therefore having no potential victims for public disturbance. 

However, this bothers Junkyu enough to ask, “Where are the other people?” 

“Guess there’s more than just one person who didn’t like the first movie.” 

Junkyu scoffs at the teasing tone in Mashiho's voice. “Are you seriously using that against me? I thought you said you were going to pretend that you didn’t hear me?” 

“Well, I can’t. Especially when we’re about to watch its sequel and I’m sitting beside the person who blatantly confessed that he despises the first movie.” 

“Just so you know, there are other movies that I hate.” Junkyu says defensively. It’s true. His profound love for books is probably what hinders him from appreciating films and the sort. Perhaps Junkyu's just not a movie person. Simple as that. 

“Yeah, like what?” 

“It’s a long list.” 

“I think we have time.” 

“No we don’t. The movie’s starting.” He points out, motioning at the screen where the opening credits have started playing. 

“Come on, name me one.” If anything, Mashiho sounds even more insistent. 

They hear a frustrated shushing in front of them. 

“Mashi, shut up!” 

Junkyu couldn’t tell who it was, but is grateful for them just the same. 

“Sorry.” 

Just when he’s sure that the conversation has died down, Mashiho says one last thing in a hushed volume, “Are you that hard to please?”

Junkyu doesn’t reply. From his peripheral vision, he feels Mashiho's gaze prickling at the side of his face, so Junkyu whirls his head to check if he is indeed staring at him. But as soon as he turns, Mashiho looks away. 

This little exchange dwells inside Junkyu's mind that for the first ten minutes of the movie, he couldn’t find it in himself to focus. It isn’t until a loud banging sound erupts from the screen that Junkyu finally snaps out of it. 

"This doesn't look like _Frozen II."_ Junkyu observes though it’s a little too late for him to point that out now.

That first observation is only the start of him noticing the things around him after the liberation from his mind. Beside him, he hears Mashiho's heavy breathing. Taking advantage of the dimmed lights, he turns to check on him. 

"Yeah. Haha. My bad." 

He sounds tense, if that forced laugh is any indication. He even _looks_ tense but Junkyu brushes it off as a trick in the light. 

Another suspenseful scene passes, and Junkyu feels the entire row nudge as Mashiho flinches, almost sending the popcorn flying over. 

Junkyu reaches out for the bucket, saying, “I think I’ll hold onto this now.” 

“Good idea.” 

There are a couple more instances where Mashiho did more than just flinch - his arms flying over his head protectively and attempting to pull his legs on the seat. At some point, Junkyu thinks he heard him _whimper_. 

Junkyu feels a slight nudge on his shoulder and realizes it’s the top of Mashiho's head, trying desperately to jam into the nearest living being who would make him feel safe. 

Junkyu leans over to him, noticing that he has his face covered with both hands. “Hey, you okay?” 

Mashiho must have noticed the proximity of Junkyu's voice because he suddenly takes his hands away and stares him dead in the face. 

“I’m fine.” 

He feels Mashiho's warm salty popcorn breath on his skin, causing his cheeks to warm up despite the air-conditioning in the cinema. 

“Excuse me.” Mashiho suddenly lifts himself off the seat, heading towards the bathroom area without so much as another word even if one of his friends had called on him to wait up. 

Confused, Junkyu brushes off his odd behavior and continues watching the film. He only starts to worry when the friend who’s supposedly with Mashiho returns to the seats alone. 

“Where’s Mashi?” 

The friend, whose name Junkyu can’t remember, shrugs. “He wasn’t in the bathroom when I came in.” 

Junkyu bites back a groan. This really isn’t any of his responsibility but he still leaves his seat and hurries towards the direction where Mashiho has headed a while ago. He checks the bathroom, and just as his friend had said, he isn’t there. He can’t think of any other place to check but outside, so Junkyu walks out of the cinema doors and scans the area before him for any signs of the boy. 

He still couldn’t find him, and at that point, worry is starting to take over Junkyu. He just reaches the spot where he found Mashiho and his friends earlier when he finally catches a glimpse of that black sweater and blue jeans by the bench near the snack bar. 

Feeling an insurmountable amount of relief, Junkyu races towards the boy immediately, who looks up as he nears him. 

Mashiho breaks into a smile. “Hi. You found me.” 

Under better lighting, Junkyu notices how pale he is. “You look pale.” 

“I don’t really like horror movies.” Mashiho scoots to make some space for him. 

“Me too.” 

“You don’t like any movies.” Mashiho counters, the same smile still on his lips. Junkyu doesn’t understand how he can manage to do so when he looks close to fainting. 

“Are you okay?” 

“Yes, I just need a moment to cool down.” 

“Do you want something to drink? I can get you water.” Junkyu rises before he could get a reply. 

“I want _Mountain Dew._ ” 

“Huh?” 

Mashiho hesitates, sputtering, “I said, I’ll have _Mountain Dew_.” 

“Uh, okay.” 

Everything about the moment feels surreal. Who would have known that the cool golden boy of Class 4-A possesses these baffling eccentric traits. Exchanging a few greetings in the halls is one thing, but spending actual time with each other is a whole different thing. Junkyu can’t even guess what other secrets and odd traits he’s yet to know about him. 

Junkyu returns with both the soda and a bottle of water because you can never go wrong with a bottle of water. 

“Here.” 

“Thanks a lot, Junkyu. You’re doing so much for me.” 

“Don’t be silly. I just bought you drinks because you look like you needed it.” 

Mashiho shakes his head after taking a long sip from his cup. “No, I mean, you’re missing the movie now.” 

Junkyu scrunches his nose up, thinking. "Is that supposed to be a bad thing?" 

Mashiho laughs - a soft sophisticated sound which makes Junkyu turn to him in reflex. 

The only laughter that Junkyu gets to hear almost everyday is Jihoon's - loud, sometimes hysterical, oftentimes annoying - a complete contrast to Mashiho's. 

“I like you, Junkyu.” 

“ _What_?” 

Mashiho stills for a moment, his expression turning from confusion to panic as he realizes what had just come out of his mouth. 

“No, no! What I meant was, I like you as a-” He pauses, his mouth hanging open mid-sentence. 

Junkyu waits in bated breath. 

“-person...” 

Another pause. Mashiho still looks like he’s unsure of what he’s saying. 

“A person who could be… a good friend. To me.” Mashiho continues, visibly swallowing right after. Junkyu notices a tinge of alarm in his eyes, but for the entire time, he never takes his gaze away. 

“Oh.” Junkyu forces a laugh. “Thanks. You too.” 

Fortunately, Mashiho diverts the topic by asking Junkyu's preference in movies, which successfully erases all traces of awkwardness between them. 

“Movies just aren’t my cup of tea, but if you really insist to make me name one I genuinely liked-” 

“I do insist.” Mashiho says with a smile. 

Unknowingly, the corners of Junkyu's lips lift up to mirror the gesture. “- I would have to say ‘ _The Breakfast Club_ ’.”

Mashiho's smile gets wiped off his face almost immediately. “‘ _The Breakfast Club_ ’? Isn’t that the all-talk 80s film?” 

“ _All-talk 80s film_!” Junkyu repeats, aghast. 

His reaction prompts another soft chuckle from the other boy. 

“I’ll pretend I didn’t hear that.” He says, repeating Mashiho's words against him. 

“I wonder how you’ll react if I say that I didn’t even finish the movie.” 

“No.” 

“Yep. I fell asleep half-way-”

“ _No_.” 

Another thing about Mashiho when he laughs: his eyes crinkle into little crescents. 

“I’m just not into dialogue-heavy films, I guess.” 

Junkyu nods, understanding that he’s a whole different person with his own preferences. He respects that. 

“So what are you into?” 

The response is quick. “Superhero movies.” 

Junkyu's reaction is also quick: he snorts. 

Mashiho turns to him with curious eyes. 

“Sorry.” He tries to stifle his giggles but he _can’t_. 

“Hey!” Mashiho cries, feigning hurt in his voice. Junkyu knows he’s faking it because there’s a trace of amusement in his eyes and his lips. 

“Sorry.” Junkyu repeats in a more contained tone this time. 

“I was going to be offended but then I remembered you hate all movies.” 

“Except-”

“‘ _The Breakfast Club_ ’, yes.”

When did they get from having the bare minimum interactions to finishing each other’s sentences? From awkward greetings in the hallways to being able to look each other in the eye and share a soft knowing smile? 

The minutes tick by quickly without either of them being aware of it. At some points in their conversation, the surroundings would disappear in and out for Junkyu. It’s like they’re the only ones in the cinema lobby, sitting on an ornate bench, getting to know just enough of each other in between the banters and laughter. 

They talk about everything. From Junkyu's dislike of movies, to Junkyu's favorite books. From their 10-page homework essay in History, to Mr. Kwon’s embarrassing slip-up in their first year. From the upcoming ‘ _Romeo and Juliet_ ’ play to Mashiho's impressive talent of time management. Before they know it, Mashiho's friends start to appear in the lobby and they both know that it’s time to go. 

Junkyu couldn’t deny the feeling of disappointment when he realizes that their conversation is finally coming to an end. As Mashiho tends to his friends’ questions and feedback about the movie, Junkyu takes this moment to check his phone. 

**jiparkhoon** : 

SOS!!! 

“Oh, shit.” 

The last time Jihoon sent him this kind of message, Junkyu arrived in his house to see Jihoon's entire kitchen flooded with water. He and his mom were trying to get around the broken pipe under the sink. Junkyu didn’t prove to be much help for that so they ended up calling a plumber. 

Another time was when he walked into his friend’s room, finding him all bundled up in blankets. When Junkyu was close enough to see his face, he realized that Jihoon was _crying_. In other words, SOS messages are never a good sign. 

“Um, Mashiho?” He calls, tapping the other boy at the shoulder to get his attention. Mashiho must have noticed the tone in his voice, turning hastily back at him in concern. 

“What’s wrong?” 

“Nothing. I just- I have to go. It’s kind of an emergency.” 

“Do you want me to go with you?” 

Junkyu shakes his head quickly, sensing that some of his friends have started to turn their attention towards them. “No, I’ll be fine. Thanks for today, by the way. I had fun.” 

After saying goodbye to the rest of them, Junkyu sprints towards the exit, his mind filled with dreadful thoughts of Jihoon in danger that he doesn’t even notice the voice that has been calling for him until he feels a gentle tug on his arm. 

“I know you’re in a hurry.” Mashiho begins, panting slightly. “But before you go, can I have your number?” 

Junkyu only looks at him for a short moment, comprehending the words slowly. Eighty percent of his mind is still on Jihoon's message. “What do you need it for?” 

Mashiho falters at the response. “Um, so I can call you?” 

Junkyu's frown deepens, (he is really slow on the uptake) and Mashiho adds, rephrasing his statement to make his intentions clear, “Can I call you?”

“Sure.” Junkyu replies, still a bit confused. “But text me first before you do.” 

Mashiho's anxious mood dissipates immediately, a grin forming on his face. “Got it.” 

  
  


Junkyu doesn’t think about this weird exchange with Mashiho until he arrives in Jihoon's house, seeing his friend sprawled on his bedroom floor, game console in hand, his face looking like he could murder. 

“Jihoon, what’s wrong?” 

As soon as Jihoon's eyes land on him, his agitation subsides, and Jihoon lets out a loud wail. 

“I can’t get past this stage I’ve been trying for five hours already!” 

“Oh my god.” 

To his credit, Junkyu helps him with the game first before reprimanding him for using their emergency cue for something so far from an actual crisis. He gets through the level that Jihoon has been stressing about on the first try, his friend dramatically showering him with praises and gratitude. 

“You’re such an idiot.” Junkyu scolds him as he tosses the console back to Jihoon. “SOS are for emergencies _only_.” 

“But this _is_ an emergency!” Jihoon retorts, eyes fixed on the screen before them. He’s already continuing on the next level. 

“We don’t use SOS for video games, okay?” 

Jihoon doesn’t reply. 

Junkyu sighs and allows himself to relax, not wanting Jihoon to know how relieved he is that he’s not in any kind of actual danger. He lies on his back on the floor as his thoughts wander back to the cinema. 

They were supposed to watch a movie, but Junkyu comes home having watched a quarter of the film, a good heartfelt conversation and probably, a new friend. 

He doesn’t notice Jihoon giving him a quick glance before turning back to his game. 

Until: “Why are you smiling?” 

“I’m not smiling.” 

As a matter of fact, he is. He tries his best to keep his face straight, not wanting to be bombarded with questions by the ever so nosy Jihoon.

Then he remembers Mashiho again, how he had caught up with Junkyu before he left, asking if he can call him. 

Now that his mind is clear, he finally grasps the whole situation. 

Oh. 

Mashiho asked for his number. Mashiho is going to call him. 

“Why are you smiling again?” 

Junkyu doesn’t deny it this time. 


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> in which junkyu finally tells jihoon everything and, etc.

Junkyu starts to think he read it all wrong - because the entire weekend has passed, and Mashiho never called. 

Not even a text message. 

Did he type in the wrong number? Is that it? Junkyu most probably punched in a typo. Yeah, definitely. 

Mondays used to be Junkyu’s favorite school day. It’s the day with the most free periods, and he usually chooses to spend it inside the library where he can read his books and get lost in the world of fiction. But now, he kind of hates it. The free period just gives him more time to dwell about the fact that Mashiho hasn't called, causing him to make up ridiculous (yet possible) excuses for the other boy - again, why is he even stressing about this? 

He has been sitting in the library for over an hour, his phone placed before him on the desk. A copy of  _ Richard III _ is right next to it, where Junkyu has been trying to pour all of his attention to. He's been failing so bad, his eyes glancing at his mobile every fifteen seconds. Every glance leaves him to disappointment. The screen remains black and blank. 

Jihoon takes the seat opposite him, a random book in his hands. Junkyu spares him a glance and shudders inwardly at the view of him sniffing the life out of the book. 

“Will you ever get to reading that instead of just sniffing it out?” 

Jihoon takes another hit, not breaking eye contact. Exhaling, he says, “ _ Never _ .” 

Right at that moment, Junkyu’s train of thought gets interrupted as he spots a familiar figure appearing from one of the shelves over Jihoon’s shoulder. 

“ _ Shit _ !” Junkyu picks up his book and attempts to cover his face with it. 

“What? What is it?” Jihoon asks.

“Shut up and pretend you’re immersed in reading!” 

By some miracle, Jihoon actually listens to him.

Junkyu peers over his book and watches as Mashiho heads towards the main counter of the library, holding a couple of books in his hands. 

Gosh, the sight of him with hardbounds is so heavenly!!! 

Wait,  _ what _ ? 

While he wills his embarrassing thoughts to stop, he lets his eyes follow the other boy until he heads out of the library and finally disappears out of view.

Junkyu sighs. If it's out of relief, disappointment or something else, he has to figure that one out yet. 

His heart is pounding. Why is it pounding? 

Is it because he just witnessed a rare moment in which a popular campus athlete-slash-theatre-actor surrounded himself around books?

Or is it because the sight of Mashiho around books is just so other-worldy that it sent Junkyu to a different world?

Right… 

He's not making any sense now, is he? 

Junkyu suddenly notices Jihoon’s suspicious glare from across the table. It’s enough sign for Junkyu to clear his throat, straighten up and tell himself to get his grip together. 

  
  


The next day isn't much different than the other day. There are still no calls (or texts) coming from Mashiho, and Junkyu, for some reason, still avoids the Japanese boy like the plague. 

On their way to the cafeteria, Junkyu spots the bane of his existence at the opposite end of the hall, heading straight to their direction. In his panic, Junkyu grabs Jihoon by the arm and pulls him towards the next hall, much to the surprise and confusion of the other. 

Junkyu peeks out from the wall they're hiding in, catches sight of Mashiho's smile for half a second, then sighs after he has disappeared out of view. (Out of relief, or disappointment, or something else, he still does not know.)

At this, Jihoon gets even more suspicious. He folds his arms and stares his friend down. 

“You know, you’re not very discreet.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” 

Jihoon opens his mouth to speak. 

Junkyu cuts him off before he can even start, “Well, I’m not trying to be!” 

Jihoon looks at him like he's crazy. (In some instances, he is.) 

Jihoon leans on the wall and lets himself relax into it. “Who are you avoiding?” 

Junkyu hesitates. “Mashiho.” 

Jihoon raises an eyebrow. “Hmmmm.  _ Inch-resting… _ ” 

“ _ What _ ?” 

“Why are you avoiding him?” 

Jihoon is his best friend and whether he likes to tell him or not, he's bound to find out soon anyway. 

So Junkyu tells him everything - from when Mashiho asked him to come with to the movies up to when Mashiho asked for his number. He also does not forget to tell him the part where Mashiho has not called and texted him yet. 

Jihoon is oddly quiet after Junkyu is through with his story-telling. 

“So, what do you think?” 

“Of what?” Jihoon blinks, as if waking up from a daze. 

“Of everything I just told you.” 

His friend shrugs. “Nothing.” 

Jihoon starts walking then, heading towards the cafeteria. 

Junkyu follows him hurriedly. 

“Um, do you think it was a… “ He pauses. In a much lower voice, he continues, “ _...date _ ?” 

Jihoon thinks for a moment, then asks, “Did you want it to be?” 

And that question put Junkyu out of sorts the entire day. 

It finally comes. The call. 

It comes when Junkyu has finally given up that it is even coming at any time in his (dramatic) life. It comes late into the night, just after Junkyu has tucked himself to bed and is preparing to get himself to sleep. 

As soon as he hears the buzz of his phone on the bedside table, he groans, annoyed. Still, he reaches out to retrieve it, thinking it’s just Jihoon either having something nonsense to say or something important to ask. With him, it’s only either way and nothing in between. 

It’s an unknown number and the call ends after a whole three seconds of Junkyu just staring into his phone as he tries to figure out who is calling him in this hour of the night. 

Not a moment later, he receives a message. 

> _ hi junkyu! it's mashiho _
> 
> _ i forgot to text before calling u ㅜㅜ  _
> 
> _ sorry abt that,,, _
> 
> _ can i call u rn?  _

Junkyu probably would have chucked his phone at the window if he wouldn't need it so badly in the next seconds. 

He takes a deep breath, counts to ten, then types in a reply. 

> _ hi, mashiho. don't worry about it! &sure, you can call me :)  _

The unknown number flashes before his eyes in a second, and Junkyu counts again, his stomach lurching in anticipation. Or nerves. Maybe both?

He presses the answer button. 

"Hello?"

"Hello?" 

Junkyu holds his breath. 

"Hey, Junkyu. It's Mashiho." 

His voice is a little raspy over the phone. 

Junkyu closes his eyes and tries to picture his face in his head - imagines that Mashiho is right in front of him right now. But the image of him being in Junkyu’s room felt weird, so he shakes the thought away immediately. Not to mention that it makes his hands feel more clammy. 

"Hey." 

"Sorry for calling this late. I hope I'm not bothering you." 

In what context does he mean by ‘calling this late’? Late as in ‘ _ this _ late at night’ or late as in almost a week after asking for Junkyu’s number?

"Not at all. I was just getting ready for bed." 

The other’s sudden question catches him off-guard, “How was your day?” 

No one has ever asked him that before (except maybe his mom but that’s his mom so it doesn’t really count. The same thing with first kisses not counting when it comes to your parents.), so Junkyu doesn’t exactly know how to respond even though the question is so simple. 

“How was yours?” He asks instead and Mashiho chuckles into the phone, making Junkyu’s heart do somersaults in his chest. 

“It was the usual. Classes, football practice, then we had our first dress rehearsal for the play.” 

Junkyu has to stop himself from sighing out loud. 

Mashiho’s really out here living his best extracurricular-filled student life all while acing his subjects and here’s Junkyu, who heads straight home after school to read his classic books and is in danger of failing Trig! 

And just as he was thinking it… 

“What do you do after school, Junkyu?” 

“None of those.” 

Mashiho laughs again and it’s crazy how Junkyu finds that he likes it the more he does so. 

“Really? You don’t watch any movies to criticize?” 

Junkyu rolls his eyes, a small smile gracing his lips in spite of himself. “Ha-ha. Very funny.” 

Their conversation flowed as if they just picked up where they left off at the cinema. It all felt very natural and easy and also tremendously weird at the same time. 

Junkyu doesn’t usually hit it off with strangers (or acquaintances) this fast. It’s a bit unsettling how comfortable Mashiho makes him feel. Is that even possible - being uncomfortable because you’re too comfortable? 

Also it’s… nice. It feels nice and he likes it. 

Junkyu likes  _ this _ \- whatever it is. 

Before he went to sleep that night, Junkyu felt the need to vent out just a tiny bit of his overwhelming feelings. 

to  **jiparkhoon** :

He called me!

do u know what time it is 

also, who? 

Mashiho !!!!

k

congrats

g 2 sleep

Good night !!!!

  
  


Things have started looking up at that point. 

Mashiho texts him regularly - not  _ ‘regularly’  _ in a stalkerish-suffocating kind of way but  _ regularly  _ enough to tempt Junkyu in screaming into a void due to utmost joy. 

It is only expected that Junkyu would come to stop avoiding him now. Sometimes he even slows down on purpose just to give Mashiho enough time to notice him in the hallways. 

When Mashiho finally waves at him from across the hall, Junkyu would perk up and wave back, acting as if he’s only noticing him. (Jihoon, who noticed everything from the start, would roll his eyes at his friend’s patheticness.)

Junkyu also pretends to walk Jihoon to theatre practice every afternoon. 

(“Just say you want to see Mashiho and go!”

“ _ Shut up, he’ll hear you. _ ”) 

Junkyu receives the result of their last trig exam and he almost soars to the air when he sees the big bad red D minus on the upper corner of his paper. 

Jihoon and he celebrate over a large tub of ice cream and an overnight session of video games. After all those hours of angles and triangles and putting up with Jihoon's mood putting up with his slow brains, they deserve it. Junkyu deserves it. 

In the middle of a game of Mario Kart, Junkyu's phone rings. (He does not have it on vibrate now for some reason.) 

"Don't answer it!" 

"Why not? It could be an emergency!" 

"Mashiho is an entire emergency for you now." 

"Don't be ridiculous!" Junkyu lets the console fall to the floor, Jihoon screaming dramatically as he does so. 

It's not like it's a team play. 

"Hello?" 

"Hey, Junkyu." Mashiho doesn't text to ask permission if he can call anymore and Junkyu doesn't mind it at all. "I hope I'm not disturbing you."

"No, not at all. What's up?" Junkyu stands up and heads to the corner of the room, avoiding Jihoon's yells. ("I'm going to drop you off this rainbow track you'll regret even answering that call!") 

"Is that Jihoon?" 

"No! Uh, yes. Yes, but it doesn't matter." 

Mashiho chuckles lightly. "I'm not gonna hold you off. I just wanted to invite you to our game this friday." 

Junkyu bites back a scream. 

"Hello? Junkyu, are you there?" 

"Uh, yeah. I'm here." He clears his throat. "I'll be there." 

"Cool." It's crazy how he can hear the smile through Mashiho's tone alone. "I'll see you, then. Bye!" 

"Bye." 

Junkyu stares at his phone after the call has ended. He only snaps out of it when Jihoon has called for his attention; Junkyu sighs and this time, he knows now that it isn't out of relief or disappointment. 

But out of something else. 


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> in which junkyu's presented with a fresh set of problems

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> it's crazy how 2 mashikyu selcas can do,, i was supposed to skip the update for this week but they said no! u__u  
> i wanted to keep this @ 5 chapters max but i realized there r just so many things we cant control lmaoo  
> ANYWAY this chapter is p lame but i had fun writing it,,, new (side) characters r introduced but i dont think they'll appear more in the later chapters. enjoy!

Junkyu is _fucked_.

The elation over his _D minus_ grade is short-lived, it turns out. 

They are three weeks away from finals _which means_ it’s not over yet. _This means_ there’s still three weeks of Trig - _which means_ there are still a couple of quizzes and one big final exam before he can be totally free from the dreadful subject. 

He should have known when Mr. Koo asked him to stay behind after class today. 

He showed Junkyu the class roster where he keeps the students’ progress and grades in an organized table. Junkyu has only started to get impressed at the teacher's neatness when he started pointing at the far end of the columns in line with his name. 

It says, in dark red marking: _Endanger of failing_. 

Junkyu tilts his head, confused. Before he can ask about it, Mr. Koo says, “Do you know what this means, Junkyu?” 

“Um-”

“It means you have to score a _D_ or above for the next couple of quizzes _and_ at the final exam.”

“A _D_ or above?” Junkyu repeats.

“Yes.” 

“Not _D minus_?” 

“No.” 

“Okay.” Junkyu nods, eyes trailing back to the words, _‘Endanger of failing_.’ 

It keeps bothering him.

The voice at the back of his mind is telling him not to do it. It oddly sounds a lot like Jihoon, should he point out. And perhaps that is why Junkyu does it anyway because he never really likes to give his friend the satisfaction. (Subconscious or not.)

“Um, Mr. Koo? This should be ‘IN DANGER of failing’ not ‘ENDANGER of failing’.” 

When Junkyu looks up at the teacher, he’s met with an icy stare which he misreads for a confused look. Junkyu continues, “ _Endanger_ is a verb and it means ‘threatening someone or something, or putting them at-’” 

“I know what it means!” 

Junkyu takes a step back in surprise. There is a slight blush on Mr. Koo’s cheeks as he shuts his record book close and hastily beckons Junkyu out of the room. He doesn’t need to be told twice.

  
  


He badly wants to rant to Jihoon about his fresh set of problems, but he didn’t find him anywhere. Plus, they didn’t have any classes together until the last period. 

Junkyu thinks he couldn’t survive the entire day or wait that long, but it turns out that the more time passed, the more he felt better. The more time passed, the more his mind wandered off of Mr. Koo and the grade requirement he has to meet for Trig. 

Music class is his favorite after English, not because he's good at it, but mostly because their teacher just lets them be and do whatever. They're supposed to practice the instrument assigned to them from the beginning of the semester, but no one usually takes it seriously until finals week. Junkyu’s assigned on the piano. (This is a huge relief to him because he has learned the instrument growing up. He can read and play music sheets easily as he can read Shakespeare.) 

The only thing he hates about the class is the seating arrangement. Junkyu has to sit a row behind three chatty girls who are more interested in exercising their vocal chords than practicing their clarinets. 

Now Junkyu isn’t really into eavesdropping. But with loud mouths like _theirs_ , it’s hard not to overhear their conversation. _Especially_ when they’re talking about a certain someone from the football team. 

"You only want to watch the game because of the _players_." 

"Well, duh? Why else do you think we marathon the Marvel movies during our sleepovers?” 

“I don’t know, for science?” 

“Oh my god.”

“So, you’re saying, you’re only interested in the movies because of the actors?” 

“Of course! One film with both Chris Hemsworth and Chris Evans is enough to lure the entire female population. I’d like to think it’s the only reason they let Haruto into the team. That kid can’t play football to save his life but hey, at least he’s cute and brings in an entire crowd of cheerleaders.” 

At the other side of the room, a trumpet goes off. It’s that sophomore kid again, Kim Doyoung. Junkyu has no idea if he’s even in this class, but for some reason, he’s always there at the back of the room practicing the trumpet. He has gotten little to no improvement on it, unfortunately. 

“I think Yoshinori's the best out of them all. He’s hot _and_ the captain of the team.” 

“Don’t forget Mashiho!” 

This is the part where Junkyu’s full attention zeroes in on their conversation. 

The girl on the far left with the long blonde hair whispers something to her mates and they all let out an ear-splitting squeal. The girl on the right, the one with the short chestnut locks, says quietly, “I heard he’s a-” It’s at this point Doyoung has decided to blow on his trumpet again. Junkyu almost screams at him to shut up because all he catches from the girl’s sentence is the final word, “-player.”

_Player?_

“I heard he’s going out with Yeonhee _and_ Ryujin.” 

“No way.” 

“At the same time?” 

“Yes, Einstein. It’s what the ‘and’ is for.” 

“What a dick!” 

Junkyu doesn’t hear what follows after - not only because Doyoung’s trumpet has let out another piercing sound - but also because he has started making his way out of the room. 

  
  


“Junkyu, are you okay?” Jihoon asks him a day later. It’s lunchtime and they’re sitting under the bleachers at the baseball field. 

“I’m fine.” He deadpans, picking at the grape on his lunchbox.

“You’re obviously not.” 

“How can you tell?” 

“Hmm.. let's see - _first_ , you don’t want to sit in the cafeteria. _Second_ , you choose the most depressing and secluded area as a substitute. _Third_ , you haven’t said a word since we got here which is very unusual of you because you talk a lot. To me, at least. And lastly, you’ve been rolling that grape around with your chopstick for the last five minutes. It’s driving me crazy! If you’re not gonna eat it, give it to me.” 

Junkyu hands him his lunch box immediately. 

“You know me a lot, Jihoon.”

“No, dumbass. You’re just pretty easy to read.” 

Junkyu lets out a heavy sigh, and Jihoon takes this as a sign to try again, “Are you okay?” 

“No.” 

“Do you wanna talk about it?” 

“No.” 

“Okay.” 

After a second of silence, Jihoon asks, “Do you want to be alone?” 

“No.” 

“Okay.” 

Jihoon stays and eats the grape silently. It’s the perfect time for Junkyu to tell him about his fresh set of problems, but he couldn’t find the energy to gather his thoughts, much less _talk_. 

  
  


Even though he feels like he should be anywhere else but amongst the crowd of cheering fangirls (and boys), Junkyu persists anyway. Even though he doesn't know shit about football and Jihoon's not here with him, he's still here anyway because a promise is a promise. 

Has football always been this complicated? 

It’s almost the end of the first half and no one hasn’t scored yet. 

The fangirls a row ahead of him keep screaming out jersey numbers instead of the players' names - “ _#13!!! Please look at me!_ ” / “ _#5 is so handsome! OH MY GODDDD._ ” 

Oh my god, indeed. They are an embarrassment. 

They’re lucky Yoshinori and Haruto are nice enough to acknowledge their presence. 

Then there's Junkyu who is unlucky enough to be sitting too close because as soon as the players wave at them, his ears receive an awful round of shrieks. 

Junkyu doesn’t know why he hasn’t left yet. The only person he came to see hasn’t been on the field the entire first half. 

Jihoon isn’t here to join him because they have some important rehearsal right at the same time, and he guesses that must be why Mashiho is running a little late. 

“Did you see _that_?” The boy beside him, who has introduced himself as Jeongwoo even though it wasn’t at all necessary for an introduction, asks as soon as the whistle signal for the end of the first half flits through the air. 

The crowd has started calming a bit which is both a relief and a dread to Junkyu. 

This Jeongwoo kid has been conversing with him since the beginning of the match, using football slangs or jargon or whatever, and he doesn’t seem to realize that Junkyu understands nothing of what he’s saying. He doesn’t look as though he’s about to let up. 

“That bicycle kick from Yedam, I mean! He’s the star player, I’m sure you know. Everyone knows.”

“Sure.” Well, now he does.

"We would have scored if the ref didn’t call for that offside. I mean, did you see how Hyunjin assisted the ball to Yedam? It was _not_ offside. That was clearly a bad call. I think the rival team bought him off or something. Do you think they bought him off, hyung?” 

Now, wait a second. Since when did Junkyu agree to call him _hyung_? 

“Oh, look! Look! Hyung, _look_! Hyung, you’re not looking!” Jeongwoo points frantically somewhere at the side of the field. It’s probably just one of the athletes doing more of those bicycle kicks again, showing off. 

“Mashiho’s here!” 

Junkyu _finally_ looks and - there he is. 

In all his football uniform glory, Mashiho marches up to his teammates with a smile so broad, it could put the sun to shame. 

The girls ahead of Junkyu all let out squeals and it’s probably the first time he doesn’t mind it. 

Beside him, Jeongwoo starts rubbing his palms together, almost sinisterly. “Oooh. They’re toast now. Mashiho is here, the team is complete, and they're gonna eat dirt. I just know it!” 

He suddenly turns towards the other side of the bleachers, where the supporters of the rival team are gathered and yells, “ _Mashiho'll make you eat dirt, you lousy ref-buying cheaters_!” 

Junkyu crouches in an instant, attempting to hide himself from the humiliation and from a possible fight. He tries to tug Jeongwoo down but the kid wouldn’t budge; he throws another series of insults to the rival crowd before smiling broadly at Junkyu. 

“What are you doing down there, hyung? Come on, second half is about to start!” 

The next forty five minutes are a blur to Junkyu. At least, the rest of the world is. Even though the girls at the front row don't let up with their screaming and Jeongwoo keeps on with his live commentary, Junkyu falls into his own serene world, one which welcomes him just as long as he keeps his eyes on Mashiho. 

Despite being yards away, it seems that simply following him with his eyes as he runs around the field is enough to calm Junkyu’s mind. In the background, he can still hear the cheers and yells and Junkyu’s struck with the thought that perhaps he’s mistaken about the world quieting down. It’s not the rest of the world which calms down, but his _mind_. 

When his mind is spinning out of control, Mashiho is the only one who slows it down. 

Junkyu doesn’t realize what’s happening until everyone around him is roaring and Jeongwoo is screaming in his ear and the other players are piling up on Mashiho - _he goaled_! 

Mashiho goaled! 

Junkyu screams back at Jeongwoo’s face, and before he knows it, he’s jumping up and down with him, their hands clasped together. 

The remaining minutes return to a blur and there's no suitable word for what Junkyu is feeling except - _happy._

He's still watching him on the field when the final whistle blows, signalling the end of the game, and the other players lift Mashiho up and throw him into the air repeatedly. 

Yedam may be the star player but Mashiho is the star of this match. Their school won because of him.

When Mashiho finally breaks free from all the grasping arms, Junkyu notices with a tinge of anticipation that he's _scanning the crowd_. 

For a moment, he forgets about Jeongwoo. 

"Mashiho hyung! Over here! I'm right here! It's me, Park Jeongwoo! You're #1 fan!" 

Junkyu turns to him, amusedly. "Are you a Yedam fan or a Mashiho fan?" 

Jeongwoo shrugs. "Doesn't matter. I like everyone but that #5 dude. He thinks he's the shit or something. He can't even kick the ball with both eyes open." 

"#5? You mean Haruto?" 

"Yeah." Jeongwoo fake gags. "He's a jerk." After a slight pause, he points towards the field, yelling, "Hey, #5! Eat shit!" 

In turn, Haruto flips him off. With both hands. 

To his surprise, Jeongwoo grins proudly. As if sensing Junkyu's bewilderment, he supplies, "He's my best friend." 

Oh. That explains it. 

Junkyu and Jihoon have those kinds of moments too. Only not as intense. 

When he turns his attention back to Mashiho, Junkyu almost wishes he hadn't. 

Even with her back towards him, Junkyu can immediately tell she's pretty. (It's the high ponytail. Junkyu finds girls prettier when their hairs are tied.) But that's not the problem. She's holding a towel and is using it to wipe the sweat on Mashiho's forehead. That's not the problem either. Mashiho is saying something to her - Junkyu knows this because he can see his mouth moving - and whatever it is he's telling her, he's telling it with a smile. 

That is not the problem either.

The problem is that Junkyu recognizes the most disgusting emotion creeping up on him even if he knows he's not supposed to feel that way. 

He remembers what he overheard from the clarinet girls - _a player, dating who and who at the same time_...

So that was all true? 

Junkyu makes the wise decision to shut his thoughts down, but he inadvertently does so to everything else - so when he heads home shortly right after, Junkyu just feels nothing.

  
  


Mashiho calls that night. He doesn't text anymore before calling because they have gotten past that. It’s how it is now. 

A lot of things had gotten past a certain _stage_ over the past couple of weeks and that includes Junkyu's feelings for Mashiho. Maybe he shouldn't have let them surpass the limit he was trying to stop them from crossing because look where that got him: lying on his bed, numb, confused, hurt, annoyed, and carrying a fresh set of problems over a not-so-fresh set of problems yet still as relevant.

He doesn’t answer the call. 

He receives a message a few seconds later.

> **mashi ㅠㅠ**
> 
> kyu? are u busy? 
> 
> i didn’t see u at the game today ,, but ruto told me u were there,? 
> 
> can i call? 

> **mashi ㅠㅠ**
> 
> ig you're alrdy asleep haha
> 
> good night, kyu <3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [cc](https://curiouscat.me/excorde)


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> in which junkyu is in a dream within a dream

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the past month had been veryyyy jf8WI$&#&^#* !! plus this chapter was so hard to write bc junkyu, as a character, overthinks too much so i had to reread it a lot and take a million pauses to make sure the story is still on track @_@ istg i never quarelled sm w a character: _("JUNKYU WHAT DO U WANT FROM ME")_
> 
> anyway,, we kinda compromised. we're ok now lol

For a fleeting second, Junkyu believes he's in a dream. 

There’s just no way irises can change color. One second the bright clear eyes have black irises and the next they're chocolatey brown - almost golden. Then the following second hits him in one stupid realization - it's just the reflection of the sunlight blending the orbs into different colors. 

Junkyu’s breath catches in his throat when the gaze is followed by a sweet handsome smile. He lets out a soft gasp, heart fluttering in his chest as he becomes fully aware that the gaze staring right into his own is… _real._

He only snaps out of his bewilderment when the voice says, “Good morning.” 

Chills run down Junkyu’s spine, not because the voice is mesmerizing (well that too) but mostly because it’s familiar.

 _Mashiho_. 

Somehow, he’s here, sitting right across Junkyu in the library, the sunlight from the window shining down on him like he’s a freaking angel sent from above. 

His mind is still groggy from the nap, and it’s hard to believe his prior conclusion especially with the way Mashiho falls into peals of giggles. It _still_ feels like a dream. It’s hard to tell if he’s _awake_ or _sober_ or _alive_ or has been programmed into a different reality or has fallen into a deep void he couldn’t get out of… It feels as if he’s in a dream within a dream. 

“Jihoon told me I’d find you here.” 

“What-” The words catch in his throat. Junkyu doesn’t know what to say. He looks around the library just to have something to do (rather, to avoid the other's gaze), and is swept with relief when he realizes there are still a couple of people hunched over their respective desks. 

"You're not supposed to be here." Junkyu finally says, getting the courage to glance at him, if only for a moment. 

He thinks he sees Mashiho's eyes glaze over with _hurt_ but it immediately subsides for Junkyu to be a hundred percent sure. 

"What?" 

"Don't you have rehearsals?" 

It's the reason he hasn't seen Jihoon much the past couple of days. The theatre kids are all working their asses off doing final touches to the performance which is due this weekend. 

Mashiho perks up, the gleam returning in his face. "Oh, yeah. But it let up a while ago and I headed right here after asking Jihoon about you." 

Junkyu tries not to gulp visibly. "Right." 

"Actually," Mashiho starts with a strain in his voice, and Junkyu doesn’t fail to notice the way he fidgets with his hands. Despite this, his gaze never falters. “It's what I came here for. To invite you to the play this friday." 

It seems it was only yesterday when he asked him to come to the football game. Now, he's asking Junkyu to watch the play. How come he has a lot going on for him? Meanwhile Junkyu only has - he looks over at the pile of textbooks in front of him - _Trig_. 

Trig that he's about to fail because he spent the last couple of hours reading _As you like it_ and marking notes on his copy instead of studying the mountains of equations Mighty Pythagoras has discovered.

"I can't." 

Mashiho deflates. "Oh. That's okay. I understand. You're busy." 

"Yeah." 

Last weekend, Jihoon had asked him about the same thing. He had barged into Junkyu's room without knocking, eliciting a startled, _'Fuck, Ji! You could have knocked!'_ from the other.

Jihoon only marches up to him as if he didn't hear him, slapping down an intricately designed small piece of paper. Junkyu looks away from his laptop and realizes it’s a ticket to the play. _The play_. The Romeo and Juliet one. 

“I can’t.” Junkyu says in a heartbeat. 

Jihoon slumps down on the bed, frowning at his refusal. “Why not? I thought you’re over with avoiding Mashiho.” 

(He is. Now he’s on to round 2. Or is it the third?) 

“ _I am_. I mean- it’s not about him. I just happen to have other engagements.” 

“Yeah? Like what?” 

Junkyu motions to his laptop and the pile of notes strewn on the table. 

“No shit.” Jihoon leans casually, his tone indicating he’s not buying anything the other says.

“I do have a lot of studying to catch up on, okay? Leave me alone.” 

If anything, Jihoon only pushes the ticket towards him. 

"I said, I'm not going, Jihoon."

"I heard you the first time, kid. You know, just in case you change your mind." 

"I won't." 

Jihoon rolls his eyes. "You know I would gladly give that to somebody else if I had other friends to invite, right?" 

Junkyu gasps. "You're guilt-tripping me!" 

Jihoon guffaws. "Not at all, dumbass!" 

Junkyu ends up keeping the ticket anyway, only because Jihoon insisted. 

His friend didn't stay long enough to hang out or do their usual shit, and Junkyu wallows in his peaceful weekend, studying trig and turning the events of the past few days in his mind. 

He has managed to sort out _feelings_ from _rational thoughts_ (if only partially), and he can boil it down to this:

He's overthinking everything - from the thing he overheard in music class to the thing he saw in the football field… Nothing good ever comes out when you assume things on your own and the best way to settle it is to confront the person directly associated with the problem. 

Which in this case is Mashiho. 

Before Junkyu can formulate a starting statement, there’s a loud thud, startling them both. Across the room, the assistant librarian is frantically going about the floor trying to pick up the stack of books that has now crashed on the floor. 

Mashiho immediately gets on his feet, Junkyu following in half a second. 

As they get closer, Junkyu realizes that the assistant is teary-eyed, mumbling over and over under her breath - something about the head killing her for messing up. For what? Stumbling down a pile of books? 

Junkyu puts a hand on her shoulder in a placating gesture. “Hey, it’s okay. We’ll help you tidy them up.” In the corner of his eye, he sees Mashiho start with the couple of books on the floor.

She shakes her head. “No, no. I have to put them back on the shelves before the closing time. Otherwise, she’s going to kill me.” 

“No worries. We’ll help you with that too.” 

Junkyu knows of the dewey decimal system, but he doesn’t know it by heart. Plus, there are about a thousand shelves in the library so the challenge of putting up books was notched up twice. 

He would run into Mashiho on some shelves, who if Junkyu should say, looked utterly adorable tiptoeing to reach the higher shelves. Without much thought, Junkyu approaches him, grabs the book from his hand, and moves them back on the shelf. His chest presses lightly against Mashiho's back and Junkyu skitters away before the other could react. 

There are times when Mashiho would beam at him when they meet each other in the same aisle, Junkyu wishing he had managed to at least return the smile because his mind just blanks whenever Mashiho does so much as look at him.

By the time they’re done, the assistant librarian is excessively bowing at them in gratitude, still with tears in her eyes, but this time due to gratitude and relief. 

“Don’t mention it. We’d be glad to help you again.” 

Junkyu couldn’t help it. As they step out of the library doors, he tells the other, “Speak for yourself. I’m not doing that again.” 

Mashiho burst laughing, his voice echoing in the deserted hallway. 

“I had fun. I learned something.” 

Junkyu looks at him in disbelief. “What? That ‘ _languages’_ fall into the 400 mark?” 

“Honestly?” There’s a pause; they’re heading towards the school gates together, and Junkyu notes how Mashiho’s walking too close beside him, their shoulders brushing. “Yeah. That’s it.” 

It’s a clear day, the blue sky stretching on to forever. They step out of the campus grounds without conversation, though background noises fill up the awkward silence. 

There are so many things Junkyu wants to say to him, but why is that - the more you want to say, the more difficult it is to speak? 

Junkyu takes his usual path home, and Mashiho follows. 

"Don't you have football practice?" 

Mashiho laughs a little, "Last week's game was the finals. We're through for the term." 

"Right." 

They take another turn, and Junkyu almost crashes into a couple of middle schoolers who are chasing each other on the sidewalk had Mashiho not grabbed him on time. 

"Hey, no running!" Junkyu yells after them, trying not to think too much about the hand clasped around his biceps. Mashiho's hand is cold but it has nothing to do with the shivers running down his spine. 

Junkyu trudges on as if his heart isn't betraying him by beating loudly in his chest, making Mashiho's hand drop. They fall into step in a second, Mashiho breaking the silence, 

"I tried to watch ' _The Breakfast Club_ ' again." 

His tone is amiable, like the one you use when you're attempting small talk. Junkyu looks at him, and asks, " _Tried_?" 

"I'll be honest, okay?" Mashiho smiles sheepishly, "I fell asleep halfway through." 

Junkyu should have frowned at that, but Mashiho's genuinity is just so adorable it tugs at his heartstrings. And just the fact that Mashiho _tried_ to watch it again, _for Junkyu's sake_ , makes him want to scream. 

"That's okay. At least there had been an attempt on your side. I, however, will never be found watching any kind of superhero movies alive." 

They fall into peals of laughter, Mashiho butting in a "They're not that bad, trust me." in between chuckles. It takes about a full minute for them to sober up, and the silence immediately showers Junkyu in a kind of dread that he wishes would just leave him alone. 

Why can't these stupid thoughts just leave him alone? Why can't he laugh with Mashiho without worrying about _feelings_ \- _specifically_ the (most likely) unrequited feelings he has for this boy he's currently having a good time with? 

Mustering up the courage, he asks, "Mashiho, why are you following me?" 

The other boy looks up at him, eyebrows furrowed in an adorable way that Junkyu almost couldn’t resist running his fingers over it. "Huh?" 

"You've been following me. All the way from campus." 

The expression on Mashiho's face falls between confusion and amusement. He smiles at Junkyu and the latter holds his gaze despite wanting to do the very opposite, "I'm walking you home." 

His head processes the words slowly, like the time it takes for honey to drip from a spoon. 

_Mashiho is walking him home._

"Why?" The question comes off slightly pinched. Fortunately, Mashiho doesn't seem to notice. 

"I want to spend time with you, obviously. I've been very busy lately, and so are you. So, I'm just-" 

The light friendly tone only sets Junkyu off. "But _why_?" 

"What do you mean why?" 

There’s this: Literally half of what Junkyu has read of Shakespeare’s works have hints of miscommunication, and those drove most of the tragedies in the stories. Take the most obvious example - _Romeo and Juliet_ . And then there’s Benedick and Beatrice in _Much Ado About Nothing_ \- granted, their story had more of a positive effect due to the miscommunication, but Junkyu never liked the way they were deceived and danced around their feelings before admitting to it.

His point is, Shakespeare is a god, and he’s feeling all these feelings and he doesn’t know what to make of it because Mashiho can be acting like this one day and then acting like that on the other. Then again, Junkyu isn’t any better. Reflecting on his own actions, maybe he’s the one reading too much into it. Maybe Junkyu’s the one complicating things. 

Junkyu stops and slinks towards the wired fence separating the sidewalk from a children’s playground. In the background, he can hear children's shrieks and laughter, and he fixes his gaze on the asphalt as Mashiho moves to stand beside him. 

"Why are you doing this Mashiho?" Junkyu’s voice tends to get nasally whenever he’s on the brink of his emotions, such is the case at that very moment. 

When Mashiho speaks, his voice drops to a volume, and Junkyu's heart soars as he's reminded of the day Mashiho recited his final line in a whisper, right before he leaned in to kiss Junkyu. "Are we still talking about the walk home?" 

Junkyu shakes his head, "No. I mean about everything. I just-" He pauses, runs a hand through his hair as he musters up the courage to proceed - it's now or never. _It's now or never. It's now or never._

Never. 

"You confuse me."

Never.

"I can’t make out your intentions.”

Now. 

“I like you, you know?” 

The silence stretches on for eternity. Junkyu's head is still bent towards the ground, refusing to look at him. The longer the silence droned on, the more his heart breaks into fissures. And when Mashiho begins with, 

“I’m sorry.” 

It ruptures into pieces.

“Junkyu, look at me.” 

Instead of doing what he's asked, he shuts his eyes, breathing deeply to resist the dam of tears threatening to spill. 

“I’m sorry.” Mashiho touches his arm, lightly, like he's afraid about overstepping his boundaries, but at the same time, is set to convey the best attempt for comfort.

"I thought I made my intentions clear? Kyu-" Mashiho moves his hand on his shoulder, still in a gentle way, and when Junkyu doesn’t budge, his touch withdraws. "I thought I made it obvious how I feel about you."

For some reason, his brain decoded these words quickly, so unlike the honey-dripping-from-spoon minutes ago.

Junkyu finally lifts his head towards him, trying his best to conjure a nonchalant expression, despite his whirring mind and skipping heart.

"And what's that?" 

"That you're special." Mashiho adds, "To me." 

It's a bit crazy how one can easily believe the things they desperately want to hear. 

In Junkyu's defense, this is _Mashiho_ \- Mashiho who had admitted to falling asleep to Junkyu's favorite movie when he could have easily lied to impress him. 

As if reading his thoughts, Mashiho says, "I'm telling the truth, Kyu. I seriously thought I've been too obvious with my intentions. My friends wouldn't let me hear the end of what happened in the cinema. My teammates even tease me about you, some of them going as far as wanting to meet you. Haruto saw you during the game but he didn't get the chance to get your attention because you were speeding away from the crowd. The theatre kids - well, excluding my friends, they're tamer, but I get these looks whenever we finish off the pilgrims scene during rehearsals." 

Junkyu couldn't ignore the light fluttering in his chest. He knows he should probably respond to that, but he couldn't help blurting out the one thing that keeps bothering him, "Do you know why I left the game early?" 

Mashiho shakes his head. Junkyu fixes his gaze on the ground, stuttering over his words as he relays what he has seen that day. To his surprise, Mashiho let out a giggle when he's done speaking. 

"Kyu, that was Yuna, the team's towel girl. She wants to be in because there's no football team for women but for obvious reasons, Coach wouldn't let her. So, as an excuse to stick around, she volunteers to be the towel girl. I must admit - she deserves credit for her work, she does it pretty well." 

Junkyu blinks. Well, now he feels stupid _and_ extremely embarrased. Something tells him that the rumor he overheard in music class has nothing to do with Mashiho too. 

Junkyu decides he can scold himself later. He says, "She's too pretty to be a towel girl. Don't tell me she lifts your water jugs for you too?" 

Mashiho's silence is enough confirmation; Junkyu gasps. "No way!" 

"She snaps at us when we try to help! Besides, in every sense of the word, she's a really strong girl." 

"Okay." Junkyu can feel Mashiho's gaze boring onto the side of his face, so he turns around to face the fence, out towards the playground. 

He doesn't know how long they have been standing there in silence when Mashiho says, "You don't strike me as the jealous type." 

"I'm not! I just misunderstood the situation." And he's utterly embarrassed now, he can't even look Mashiho in the eye. 

"But you're okay now, right?" His voice drops to a whisper, "We're okay?" 

Junkyu musters the courage to look at him, only to be welcomed by Mashiho's warm smile. 

He smiles back, brighter, maybe even the brightest the world has ever seen on him, "Yeah." 

They stay for a couple more minutes, and are only forced to leave when one of the mothers in the playground gives them the stink eye. You can't blame her. They look pretty suspicious staring at the children on the other side of the fence. 

They sprint away, laughing, and Mashiho has to pause to let Junkyu catch up. They're only a block away from his house, and Junkyu realizes he doesn't want to go home yet. 

"There's an ice cream parlor a few minutes away from here." 

Mashiho's already nodding his head, "Let's go!" 

For a dreadful second, Junkyu thinks he might only be dreaming. He's gonna wake up in the library, alone, with no Mashiho to smile down at him, or to walk him home. 

Before he can get too deep in his mind, a slight nudge on the shoulder takes him off his thoughts. Mashiho is already looking at him, and he asks, "Can I hold your hand?" 

Junkyu responds by taking his hand in his, intertwining their fingers together. 

His hand feels cold and Junkyu runs his thumb over his skin as an attempt for warmth. 

He thinks- _there's no way this could only be a dream._

Mashiho beams warmly at him, and Junkyu's heart soars. 

This is real. He thinks - _this is real._


End file.
